When The Rain Came
by My Sweet Chaos
Summary: A snowstorm prevents Finland from seeing Sweden, leading him to question exactly what he feels for Berwald. A wish or two and a lot of fluff, some of it snow, might help him to figure it out. SuFin, of course. One-shot.


A/N: Can I get a 'yay' for SuFin? Hey, it's canon, it's cute, what's not to like?

The title for this was stolen from a short story I had to read in English last year.

oOo

Well, he was used to lots of snow, but this was _ridiculous._

The flakes had been falling for days now, large and puffy and soft, and they'd bent down his trees and weighed down his homes and buried everything that was less than four feet tall. Finland, known as Tino to his friends, couldn't help but sigh at the silent, slow destruction caused by the little crystals.

He wasn't just sighing because of the unusual snow, which was about two feet more than his overall average. Tino was sighing because the snow had caused most of the major highways and airstrips to close, meaning that the Christmas visit he was supposed to get from Sweden had been canceled.

Although he couldn't spend Christmas Eve with his self-proclaimed 'husband', due to distributing presents across the globe, Tino had always enjoyed his Christmas Days with Berwald (Sweden). Something about the taller nation's silent, comforting presence made his Christmas complete. This year, however, the snow had been too thick. Berwald had done his best, but not even countries themselves were allowed through the airports.

Now, February was making way for March, and the snow, which had somewhat melted in a warm spell, was returning with a vengeance. If it lasted, Tino knew, his next visit from Berwald would also be canceled.

Not that he actually _liked_ being called 'wife', or having those long arms circle his slim waist, or the way Berwald made his hot chocolate, or the songs the tall nation hummed when he thought no one was around. No way. That would be ridiculous. Finland had been out of a relationship since Russia had forced Tino to live at his house, and he intended to stay that way.

But _oh_, the snow would _not_ stop falling.

oOo

Berwald wasn't enjoying it much either. Despite his aversion to showing affection or really speaking much at all, he really and truly was in love with Finland- or rather, Tino. Christmas with Tino was better than anything, even his own celebrations.

And then it was canceled.

He'd spent the rest of the month trying to negotiate a plane for himself, a car, a snowmobile- but all he'd gotten was his boss pointing out that if he died due to the blizzard, his country would be in chaos. Sweden came before Finland, didn't it?

And as much as he didn't want to, Berwald agreed. Tino was fine, and safe. Trying to go and see him by taking a dangerous trip over all that snow would be foolish. Anyways, the smaller country had never taken to Berwald the way Berwald had taken to him. He'd be all right.

Still, that didn't stop Berwald from reserving a seat- any seat- on the first Sweden-to-Finland flight once the snow was gone. It didn't matter to where in Finland the flight went, or when it left- as long as the plane got him over to Tino, that was enough.

As days slipped past, Berwald found himself watching the snow fall more and more often, wondering how something so innocent and gentle-looking could cause him so much grief.

He wasn't entirely thinking of the snow.

oOo

On the other side of the Gulf of Bothnia, Finland was doing the same thing- staring up into the sky, watching with violet eyes as flake after flake landed in his eyelashes.

_I wonder what Berwald is up to_, he thought, and blushed slightly- and then shook his head quickly, shaking it off. _Don't_, he chided himself. _He's just a friend. _

A second thought popped up in the back of his head, whispering gently in his mind. _A friend who calls me his wife. When was the last time I corrected him? In fact, when was the last time I mentioned it at all?_

_I'm not in love with him… am I_?

_It doesn't matter anyways._ The snow was getting heavier once again, the little fluffs of ice gathering more quickly in his outspread hands. _I won't be able to see him again until August, at this rate._

Confused by feelings that he'd been either repressing or misreading for quite a few decades, Tino stared up into the falling snow, and wished for it to go away. If it went away, he could see Berwald, and if he saw Berwald, maybe he could figure out what it all meant.

_Go away, snow._

oOo

In Sweden, Berwald looked up at the clouds. _Go away, snow,_ he thought.

oOo

Ten thousand feet up, above Sweden, Finland, Norway (who was staying in Iceland's house) and northwestern Russia, a warm air system had permeated the pile of damp cold cloud that had stuck there. Little by little, the warmth began mixing with the cold. After an hour or two, the warm system had heated the clouds enough to bring the average temperature above freezing.

oOo

_Plink_.

The ghosting touch across Tino's cheek didn't feel like snow. He brought a hand up to his cheek, looked back up at the sky.

Then, it started to rain in earnest. The snow, so gentle, had turned into a driving, freezing rain that soaked right through Tino's body. Children that had been tromping around in the deep snow squeaked swear words their parents certainly hadn't taught them and hurried back inside, fleeing the glacial water that spattered them from the sky.

Tino didn't run- didn't even move. He just watched the rain, poking dimples in the snow, melting it, washing it away. Already the snowmen sitting in the middles of fields were looking misshapen, their carrot noses drooping.

oOo

The snow didn't go all at once, of course. There was just too much of it for one heavy rain to wash away. But that sudden burst of warm air heralded the beginning of a lovely spring. Temperatures in the Nordic countries (except Iceland) were above freezing every night, and the snow melted in under a week.

Berwald's travel plans were, therefore, accelerated. He caught the first flight going out to Finland just two days after the rain came.

Tino met him at the gates of the airport, beaming all over his round face.

"Fin," Sweden rumbled deeply, "Missed you."

"I missed you too! I didn't even realize how much I enjoyed your company until you couldn't come over for Christmas and I really wanted you to come over and you didn't and-" Tino was suddenly conscious that he was rambling, something he did frequently around Berwald. At first, he'd attributed it to fear of the larger nation's… well, scariness. Now, he wasn't so sure.

"S'okay now," Berwald pointed out. "'M here." He hesitantly reached down the twelve-centimeter difference in their heights and gave Tino a hug.

After a moment, the smaller nation took one of Berwald's large hands and started weaving through the crowd of blond heads, chattering excitedly. "It was weird when the rain came, wasn't it? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything- I got to see you again, right? But it's just so weird because I was just really wishing for the snow to go away and then it suddenly did and now there's no snow and the grass is growing and…" He trailed off. "Am I boring you?"

"No."

For a moment, Tino had nothing to say. Still, he was accustomed to extreme terseness on the part of Berwald, so there was only a moment of silence before he started up again- and went on.

oOo

"-And so I just figured that maybe if you really, _really_ wish, _really really_, then you might actually get your wish! I mean, it could be a coincidence but I doubt it." Tino appraised Berwald's expression, checking how receptive he was to a question. "What do you think?

Berwald was silent, staring straight ahead with his sharp blue gaze. It took him a moment to answer. "Any w'sh at all?"

"Yeah, any! Well… maybe not winning the lottery. But if you want rain, or a friend, or a good story to read, maybe all you need to do is hope for it!" Tino couldn't help but feel enthusiastic over this. It was such a monumental idea. "I bet it works better if more than one person wishes at the same time."

"W'sh," Berwald mumbled, under his breath. He didn't seem to be listening. He tilted his head up and looked at the ceiling of Tino's house, eyes visibly tracking over the slight patterns in the paint.

"Is there something you want to wish for, Su-san?" Tino couldn't help but ask. It was just that the larger nation looked very troubled, to the point of actually having a facial expression, and so whatever it was had to be something big. "You should wish for it. I'm sure you'll get your wish too!"

Berwald's brows lowered another half a millimetre, and he blinked slowly before muttering "W'sh with me?"

Tino had no clue what to make of this odd request, but he agreed. "Of course, I'll wish with you. But you have to tell me your wish first."

"No. W'sh with me."

He shrugged- if Su-san didn't want to tell him his wish, then there was no force on the globe that could get him to talk. "All right. I'll wish. One, two, three…"

And although Tino didn't know what the wish was that he was hoping for, he wished, as hard as he could. He did his best to put the entire power of Finland behind it, doing his absolute best to make sure that Berwald got his wish.

oOo

_I wish Fin loved me,_ Berwald thought. _I wish he loved me the way I love him._

oOo

_What is love, really_? Tino thought, looking closely at Berwald's face as he wished, and finding himself unable to even begin to decipher his expression. _Is it like friendship, or is it different?_

All he knew was that seeing Sweden walk off that plane had been one of the best feelings in the world. When Berwald's eyes had lit up in that nearly-invisible way, when he'd leaned down and hugged Tino with utter sincerity, and when he'd asked for a wish, just a wish, Tino had felt something- much like friendship, that feeling of joy when you know someone's there looking out for you, but a little different. Warmer.

Warm enough to melt the snow.

Was _this_ love?

oOo

Berwald was totally focused on his wish. Therefore, it came as a total surprise when his cheek was gently brushed by Finland's warm lips.

Putting a hand up to the spot, he turned to look at Tino, icy blue eyes meeting violet. The little country was smiling, rather shyly, although just a moment ago, he couldn't have been more outgoing.

"Fin?" he asked slowly, incredulous, wondering, _surely, surely not. _"You…"

"This is love, right?"

Berwald couldn't believe he was hearing this. "What d'you mean?"

"This warm feeling, it's love, right?" Tino was grinning now, cheeks pink, enthusiasm returning. "I guess I didn't know it until you weren't there, but I only feel this… whatever it is… around you. It has to be love."

Still disbelieving, Berwald leaned in closer. "You w'shed w'th me?"

"Yeah, of course I did," Tino said, looking startled that Berwald would ask this question. "Why do you ask? What did you wish?"

"You," he replied simply, and Tino's eyes widened, his smile growing again.

"Me? You wished for me?" Beaming, Tino leaned forward as well, and without thinking pressed his lips to Berwald's.

oOo

About twenty seconds later, when Tino had to come back up for air, he pulled back, again staring into Berwald's eyes. "Su-san, I think I love you," he said, blushing.

"I know I love you," Berwald replied, and Tino could almost see him smiling.

They passed the evening there, kissing, pondering the chances of a wish. Tucked in Berwald's large arms, Tino couldn't help but feel overjoyed all over again that the rain came when it did.

oOo

A/N: Thoughts?

This wasn't a typical story for me. I wrote it much like the moon in that it had phases, and it was sometimes pretty hard to see that it was moving forward at all. But at last I finished, and present it to you. I always kind of figured that Finland, being a semi-naïve sort of character, would possibly not recognize love when it happened along- especially since he had to live with Russia, which is generally emotionally damaging. So he had to learn what it was like to be without love before he could figure out what it really was.

Total fluff, I know. By the way, anyone out there know how to do proper line breaks on ff. net? I have forgotten.

Sweet Chaos


End file.
